Internal combustion engine protective cover

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for internal combustion engines that are mounted on hand-held tools is described. The cover is made from a marine grade vinyl that is fireproof and not subject to scorching or other thermal deterioration and rot induced by dirt, oil, grease, gasoline and engine exhaust. The cover is adaptable to a range of engine sizes by a means of an array of snap fasteners on the cover&#39;s open end that match the size of the opening to the size of the engine mounting.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None

REFERENCE TO “SEQUENCE LISTING”

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to protective covers for internal combustionengines and, more particularly, to a flexible bag for enclosing a smallgasoline engine in order to protect the engine from corrosion, and thelike.

Small gasoline engines used on hand-held or manipulated equipment, ofwhich chain saws, leaf blowers and lawn trimmers are typical, often areexposed to the elements after use. These engines, especially when stillwarm from use and fouled with combustion products, are vulnerable tocorrosion and malfunction caused by rain, dew, condensation, dirt, anddebris. Clearly, there is a need to provide some means for protectingthese engines from the deterioration caused by a combination of enginecharacteristics and the outdoor environment to which they are exposed.

A proposal has been advanced to provide canvas bags to enclose andprotect these motors from deterioration through exposure to atmosphericand other environmental conditions. A drawstring is provided to closethe bag about the engine to enable the bag to remain in place duringordinary handling.

This proposal, however, is subject to a number of disadvantages. Thefabric from which the bag is made, for example, is subject not only toswift deterioration through exposure to residual engine heat, gasoline,grease, and lubricating oil, but the fabric, being soaked in flammableliquids and exposed to engine exhaust products also presents a majorfire hazard.

The drawstring, moreover, is a generally unsatisfactory way to securethe bag to the enclosed motor. Repeated use in pulling the drawstringtight tends to fray the drawstring, causing it to break. In thiscircumstance, the difficulty of inserting a replacement drawstring intothe hem at the base of the bag is such that it is preferable to use anew bag and discard the old bag and its broken drawstring.

Consequently, there is a need for protective covers for gasoline andother engines that are proof against deterioration, avoid potential firehazards and are more lasting under conditions of hard and frequent use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome, to a largeextent, through the practice of the invention.

For example, by fashioning the protective cover from a marine gradevinyl fabric with an array of snap fasteners at the open end, all inaccordance with the invention, avoids many of the shortcomings that havecharacterized prior art protective covers.

Thus, a suitable marine grade vinyl fabric is not only impermeable torain, dew and condensation, but it also is inflammable and not subjectto thermal deterioration from residual engine heat. By providing anarray of snap fasteners on the hem at the open end of the cover, theprotective cover contemplated by the invention can be readily adapted tosmall engine mountings through a range of different sizes andconfigurations. Further in this regard, the snap fasteners provide amuch more durable and long-lasting means for securing the protectivecover than the relatively fragile drawstring structure of the prior art.

These and other features of the invention are illustrated in thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention, when taken with the figures of the drawing. The scope of theinvention, however, is limited only through the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a protective cover that characterizesfeatures of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the protective cover shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the protective cover shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The inadequacies of past protective cover proposals are overcome, to agreat extent, through practice of the invention.

For example, attention is invited to FIG. 1 which shows a protectivecover 10 that illustrates principles of the invention. The protectivecover 10 is formed of a material that resists thermal degradation, isfire resistant, is waterproof, and does not deteriorate through exposureto oil, gasoline, grease, dirt, exhaust fumes and exhaust residue. Amarine grade vinyl material and in particular, the marine grade vinylmaterial marketed under the trade name “Espirit 2000” has been foundparticularly suitable for the purpose of the invention.

The protective cover 10, as best shown in FIG. 3, comprises tworectangular sheets 11 and 12 of marine grade vinyl that are joinedtogether at their respective common peripheries by stitches 13. Sostitched together, the structure forms an internal seam 14 thatestablishes three common sides (FIG. 1) 15, 16 and 17. For the purposesof the invention, it has been found that a dimension of 16¾″ in lengthfor the sides 15 and 17 and a dimension of 14½″ in length for the side16 are adequate to enable the cover 10 to protect many of the internalcombustion engines that are used in conjunction with hand-held tools,and the like from damage and deterioration. Naturally, to accommodateother size engines, the sheets 11 and 12 can be dimensioned accordingly.

Fourth side 20, opposite to the side 16, is open. The ends of therespective sheets 11, 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) that form the side 20 arefolded back into a hollow interior 21 (FIG. 3) for the cover 10 by about¾″ and the ends of which are joined to the inner surface of theirrespective sheets 11, 12 (FIG. 2) by stitches 22, 23 to form opposingrespective internal seams 24, 25 (FIG. 3).

Four female snap fasteners 26, 27 30, and 31 are riveted to the internalseam 24. Again, it has been found that for the specific embodiment ofthe protective cover described herein, the centers of the snap fasteners26, 27 should be 1¼″ and 3¼″, respectively, from the side 15 and thesnap fasteners 30, 31 should be spaced 3″ and 1½″, respectively, fromthe side 17.

Best illustrated in FIG. 3, the female snap fasteners 26, 27, 30, and 31each have corresponding, oppositely mounted counterpart male snapfasteners 32, 33, 34, and 35. As shown in FIG. 3, only the sets offemale and male snap fasteners 30, 34 and 31, 35 are pressed together toadjust the size of the opening in the fourth side 20 of the cover 10 tomatch that opening to the size of the mounting for the engine (not shownin the drawing) that is to be protected.

In operation, after a small internal combustion engine for a gardeningtool or the like is de-energized, the fourth side 20 of the cover 10 isopened by applying manual pressure to the sides 15, 17 and the engine isinserted into the interior of the cover 21. According to a particularfeature of the invention, it is not necessary to wait until the enginecools to an atmospheric temperature because the fabric from which thecover 10 is made is proof against both a fire hazard and thermaldeterioration. This characteristic of the invention is particularlyadvantageous when it is realized that the need to protect the engine islikely to be overlooked or forgotten if the gardener is not able to slipa cover over a hot engine at the end of the working day, but must waitat the work site until the engine cools before applying the cover 10.

Having drawn the cover 10 over the deactivated engine, the sets offemale and male snap fasteners 30, 34 and 31, 35 are pressed together tosecure the cover 10 about the engine by pressing the open portion of thefourth side 20 of the cover 10 to the engine mounting on the implement.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a fireproofand thermally stable protective cover 10, (i.e. a material that does notscorch at anticipated engine temperatures) that also resistsdeterioration from oil, grease, gasoline and engine exhaust. The cover10, moreover, is equipped with fasteners, of which the sets of snapfasteners 26, 32; 27, 33; 30, 34; and 31, 35 are typical. Fasteners ofthis nature enjoy considerably longer service lives than the drawstringsthat have been proposed in the prior art.

1. A protective cover for an internal combustion engine comprising apair of sheets of fireproof and waterproof material, said material beingresistant to deterioration from thermal sources, engine oil, fuel,grease and exhaust; stitches to join said sheets together to form ahollow interior and a side of the protective cover that is selectivelyopen to enable the internal combustion engine to be received within saidhollow interior; and fastener snaps spaced on said selectively open sideto enable said selectively open side to engage the internal combustionengine for retention within said hollow interior.
 2. A protective coveraccording to claim 1 wherein said pair of sheets are marine grade vinylmaterial.
 3. A protective cover according to claim 2 wherein said pairof sheets are rectangular having each four sides thereof and saidstitches join together three of said four sides on both of said sheets.4. A protective cover according to claim 3 wherein said fourth side ofeach of said sheets has a portion folded inwardly to said hollowinterior, and further stitches to join said inwardly folded portions tosaid respective sheets to form individual seams.
 5. A protective coveraccording to claim 4 further comprising a plurality of snap fastenersriveted to said seams to establish said selectively open side to engageand retain the internal combustion engine within said hollow interior.6. A protective cover according to claim 3 wherein said rectangular pairof sheets have parallel sides that are 14½ inches and 16¾ inches,respectively in lengths.
 7. A protective cover according to claim 5wherein said snap fasteners are spaced on said seams 1¼ inches and 3¼inches from one of said cover sides and 1½ inches and 3 inches from theopposite one of said cover sides.